A sushi sampler at Wok
in Motion.
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Wok in Motion fits eclectic
West Glen
Suburban sprawl is the new weather
— everybody talks about it, but
just try to find someone doing
anything about it. Every new sub
development in central Iowa during
the last 50 years portrayed itself
as distinctive and unique — a
“New Town village center” in the
lingo of marketers and community
planners.
However, the most visible boulevards
of central Iowa’s new communities
all looked the same — asphalt
strips decorated with cookie cutter
architecture and neon logos of
identical franchises -— more Levittown
than New Town. For economic reasons,
industrial restaurant chains developed
symbiotically with suburban sprawl
— a large corporation could borrow
money and wait years for a real
estate investment to pay off,
but an individual restaurant owner
needed to turn profits sooner.
With few exceptions, mostly named
Trostel’s, suburban dining here
became national franchise dining.
The late bartender Richard Herring
used to ask strangers, “Could
you settle a bet for us, is this
the Ankeny Applebee’s, the Altoona
Applebee’s or the Clive Applebee’s?”
That’s finally changed. You will
not find an Applebee’s in West
Glen Town Center, not a Cheesecake
Factory or an Olive Garden either.
West Glen serves elite neighborhoods,
one dubbed “The 50310” by its
residents and another “The Ponderosa.”
The village center that serves
them has become suburban Des Moines’
first distinctive food scene.
It hosts a Saturday morning farmers’
market and its bars sport rare
whiskeys and brandies that rival
those of any place downtown. West
Glen restaurants have individual
personalities, revealed in everything
from dueling pianos to chicken
lips and belly dancers. Wok in
Motion adds to that eclecticism,
stir-frying a no nonsense mix
of fresh Chinese-American foods
with a minimalist Japanese menu.
This 50-seat, open kitchen café
bustled on all my visits, and
tables turned quickly. Sushi execution
was good — short grained rice
never broke apart yet never got
mushy. All my sushi rolls had
delicate touches of sugar and
distinct kicks of vinegar. Pickled
ginger was fresh. Sashimi, maki
and sushi rolls were adequate
for their prices ($4 - $15). Don’t
expect dazzling toro, hamachi
or uni at those fares. Salmon
and eel, crunchy rolls and clams
were all on par with other suburban
joints in the area. This is a
value, not a cutting edge, café.
Appetizers were all priced $2
to $6, soups $1 to $3 and entrees
$6 to $12.
The entire menu fit on one page
— a portent that food would be
fresh. Potstickers, dumplings
and egg rolls were all stuffed
with fresh ingredients. Tempura
stood out, offering sweet potatoes,
asparagus, broccoli and green
beans as well as more traditional
vegetables and seafood in an excellent
panko batter that was still hot
when served.
Walnut shrimp surprised — instead
of the usual honey and mayo glaze,
it comes in a less sweet brown
sauce. The heat in a “firecracker”
dish came from fresh chilies,
not dried. Hot braised tofu starred,
with a rare caramelization on
the main ingredient. Pearl sake
chicken included fresh zucchini
and asparagus spears and divinely
fresh shiitakes in a delicate
sauce. Jack Daniels Mongolian
steak was restrained on its sweetness.
Strawberry chicken made up for
that restraint with dessert level
sweetness.
Wok in Motion
5515 Mills Civic Parkway, West
Des Moines, 564-7888
Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m.; Monday through Thursday,
4:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 4:30 to
9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
to 9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 4:30
to 9 p.m.
Side Dishes
As fast as you can say “President
Obama,” Hawaiian plate lunches
began popping up in Des Moines.
Alohana (12931 University Ave.,
Clive) is the area’s first sit
down Hawaiian café, with
carb loading dinners in the $6
to $8 range, including chicken
katsu, beef short ribs and grilled
mahi mahi. (If you don’t like
sweet dishes before dessert, order
meats “without sauce”). Spam was
served musubi style and also with
ramen. Cyd’s Hawaiian debuted
at both Valley Junction and West
Glen farmers’ markets with varying
plate lunches that included Niman
kalua pig, sho you chicken, haupia
(reduced coconut milk) and a macaroni
carrot salad that could change
the way that dish is defined.
CV
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